Tears of the Moon - Di Morrissey [120]
‘Mission? This is a mission?’ Tyndall tried not to look disbelieving. ‘Way out here?’
‘It is a leper mission. The people you see here are relatives and, er, helpers to those afflicted,’ explained Anders. ‘They are in a special area,’ he added as Ahmed and Tyndall glanced around.
‘I see. Do you have help, and what about supplies? The wood and water trains don’t come out here, I imagine,’ commented Tyndall, referring to the boats that supplied the fleets.
‘We look after ourselves,’ replied the Dutchman enigmatically. ‘We have our own boats, there’s a safe harbour round the point. I assume you came via the beach.’
Tyndall nodded. ‘We’ll moor for the night and if we could avail ourselves of some fresh water, maybe a coconut or two … we’d be grateful.’
Father Anders smiled and gestured with both hands. ‘Whatever we have, the Lord wishes us to share.’
‘We’ll be back in the morning then.’ Tyndall shook the Dutchman’s hand and they headed back to the beach.
‘What do you think, Ahmed? I don’t think our Dutch friend is a priest or do-gooder at all. Didn’t trust him for a minute.’
‘Why they lock up bungalows? What they got in them?’
‘I think we should look at their little harbour.’
The three of them set off, scrambling through the fringe of tropical growth and over a small headland. In the rising moonlight they could see the opening to a calm inlet. Several luggers and a ketch were moored. Dinghies and canoes were pulled up on the beach and the boats looked deserted.
‘Me go and check ’em out, eh, tuan?’ offered Ahmed.
Tyndall hesitated, he and Yoshi would arouse suspicion. Another Malay might not. He nodded.
Ahmed chose a small dinghy and rowed silently to the boats, studying them closely. Then to their surprise, he tied a rope to the ketch and climbed on board. They saw him crouch on the deck and lift a hatch cover.
As silently as he’d left he was quickly back on the shore and they stood back amongst the trees.
‘The hold is filled with shells, tortoise and pearl shell,’ Ahmed reported.
‘I can guess where they’ve been getting the shell,’ muttered Tyndall.
‘This poacher’s place. No mission. What we do, tuan?’
‘Leave quietly and report them later. The boats are clearly from the Indies. Dutch-owned, I’d say. And the natives no doubt have been blackbirded—slave labour.’
But as they moved through the trees, Yoshi, who was bringing up the rear, gave a small shout. The others turned around quickly to find one of the Malays they’d seen at the mission tugging at Yoshi’s arm.
The man spoke quickly. ‘Please, help me get away from this place. I want to leave, go back to my wife and children. They bring me here and I can’t escape.’
Ahmed asked rapid questions and the man told them he was hired to work as crew on one of the Dutch boats, but had been brought here with other Koepangers and Aborigines against their will and could not leave. He told them the Dutch priest was actually a ship’s captain who had established this base for poaching. It was known that many of the Malay islands were used as piracy bases for gun running, spoils of poaching and blackbirding.
Tyndall and Ahmed conferred quickly, and agreed to take the man with them. With some urgency, they hurried to the darkened beach.
When they reached the sand, they found a reception committee waiting for them. Tyndall let out a cry of rage when he saw who was in charge of the small group—Karl Gunther.
Tyndall sprang at him, catching him by surprise, attempting to throttle the squat and powerfully built man. The men around them fell on the two men, wrenching them apart and the two groups, now all brandishing knives and pistols, held back their two leaders.
‘Where is she?’ shouted Tyndall. ‘What have you done